The Drive

The 2 weeks at Lowes Motor Speedway in May usually gives me a chance to think about things as I drive back and forth from Hickory to the track. Driving on the highway has always been a way for me to come up with new things to think about or write about. Last week was no different.

I listened to my XM and caught some of Claire B. Lang's shows and some of The Pit Reporters. It is just interesting to here all the different opinions. On Claire's show you here a vast difference of opinion because she has "insiders" and "outsiders" on her show. The Pit Reporters is also something good to catch because you get opinions on many subjects by different people within the racing industry.

Last week one of the subjects they discussed was disappointments for the year and of course DJ came up when David Newton made his opinion known. He basically said that he couldn't believe that DJ was saying that he would not need his six past champion's provisionals. As I listened to David it made me a little mad. I don't mean anything personal against David or any other journalist or columnist. They have a job to do. So do the drivers, and one of DJ's qualities, that makes him a champ, is a positive attitude. He might not have it with some of you that ask him about using "pc" provisionals or about why he has had "X" number of crew chiefs. I didn't say he had patience for things like that.

He is a positive person to the people that show him that they are being positive. He is a team guy and even more of a team guy when he gets positive reinforcement from the guys he is working with. So, the guys in the media might get a little different view because he does tend to say positive things, even if the odds are stack against him. I think many more people should think positive. So, David I hope you know where DJ was coming from when he was making the comments about not having to use his provisionals. He would probably agree that he should have been in your disappointments segment up to this point but I know one thing about him: his positive thinking will continue and he will continue to do his part in making good things happen for his team.

I am sure I will hear more things that get to me as I ride down the road again this week. This might be a week that I get even more upset but I mainly try to see everyone's side of discussions on radio and tv shows. Hell, it is meant for entertainment, right?

It is going to be a huge week for the UPS racing team as they attempt to qualify for the 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway. They have to feel a little better after the All Star event. I know they didn't contend for the win but they did make progress. The progress might not be so evident that everyone sees it or agrees with me but believe me, they have made progress. They will continue to get better every week that Jason and DJ work together.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure will be back in action at the Talladega Superspeedway with two full days of racing. If you want to drive a race car check out www.RacingAdventure.com for a complete schedule and information about the classes. Call 888-GO-RACE-1 to book your adventure today!